OIF committed to Cote d'Ivoire's territorial integrity

Ouagadougou- Burkina Faso (PANA) -- The International Francophonie Organisation (OIF) Saturday reaffirmed in Ouagadougou its "firm commitment" to Cote d'Ivore's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity during its two-day summit in the Burkinabe capital.
In a resolution on Cote d'Ivoire made public at the end of the proceedings, OIF called on "all Ivorian parties" to comply with the decisions made during last July's talks Ghana, referred to as Accra III accords, in an effort to facilitate "full implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis accord.
" Francophone heads of state also reasserted their conviction that "the commitments couched in the Marcoussis and Accra III accords are the only way to lasting reconciliation in Cote d'Ivoire and we demand that they are strictly implemented" before calling on all the parties "to definitively renounce the resumption of hostilities by renewing dialogue without preconditions.
" The organisation said it was concerned about the "repeated violations of the 3 May 2003 cease-fire, namely the deadly air attacks in northern Cote d'Ivoire in November 2004, and the deplorable events that resulted from them.
" OIF also asked the Ivorian authorities to put an end to incitments to hatred and violence made by its state media and to ensure the protection of foreign communities living in the country.
The situation in Cote d'Ivoire had major risks for peace, security and the economy in West Africa as a whole and the OIF strongly condemned the "deadly attacks" brought about by the Ivorian armed forces (FAZNCI) in the country's north, "including those against the French forces under UN mandate.
" The OIF also committed its secretary general, former Senegalese president, Abdou Diouf, to mobilise the support of the Francophonie to Cote d'Ivoire in order to strengthen the process aimed at restoring territorial unity and conducting, in line with the Linas Marcoussis and Accra III accords, free, fair and transparent elections.
As a member of Francophonie, Cote d'Ivoire has only been represented in the Ougadougou summit by its minister of culture and francophonie, Anne Malan-Messou, who only started sitting Friday afternoon after having received authorisation on the part of her country's highest authorities.